DENTON, Texas (September 25, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (6-9, 0-1 C-USA) began Conference USA play with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-14) loss to North Texas (7-10, 1-1 C-USA). The Panthers have historically been favorable over the Mean Green, going 12-6 in the overall series entering the match, but have struggled in recent history, losing the last three matches.
 
FIU began the match with a brand new lineup, moving redshirt freshman Lina Bernier to libero and freshman Helene Thelle to replace her at outside hitter. The result was 12 digs for Bernier, four shy of her season high, leading the defense.
                                                                          
The Panthers began the first set slow and were unable to prevent North Texas from taking it, 25-21. FIU's offense played well, hitting a .250 percentage for the set, led by senior Katie Hogan. Hogan claimed seven of FIU's 12 kills in the first set, attempting 10 more attacks than any other Panther.
 
FIU quickly fell in a 0-2 hole after dropping the second set, 16-25. The Panthers had a considerable drop in hitting efficiency, getting outhit by North Texas, .500-.171 in attack percentage. Hogan was limited to only one kill for the set, but the offense was salvaged by juniors Brianna Gogins and Jennifer Ene with four and three kills respectively. Gogins would finish the afternoon with three blocks and a season-high nine kills in the match.
 
The Mean Green clicked on all cylinders in the third set, taking it, 25-14 and the match, 3-0. FIU's woes continued, recording seven kills and seven errors in the final set for a .000 hitting percentage. Hogan was limited to only three kills in the last set, finishing the night with 11.
 
The Panthers will be back in action on Friday, September 30 to host in-state rival Florida Atlantic. The 7:00 p.m. (ET) game will take place on Lime Court at FIU Arena.

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Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU volleyball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.